How to get that German "twang"

Some people refer to it as the skunky aroma, but I like it.

Anyone have the underlying reason that St. Pauli Girl, Heineken (sp) and other German beers have that nice sunky smell?

I for one love that taste and woudn't mind trying to brew one similar in nature (ale is my preference since Id don't yet have lagering "facilities").

Thanks.

Light. The green bottles let ultraviolet light react with hop compounds making chemicals almost identical to skunk stink. Leave your bottles out in the sunlight. Enjoy.

Beer tastes like a skunk
When sun light bathes bottles clear
DMS helps too

You don't really have to brew one. It's what occurs from the hop bitters when they hit enough uv-light. Bottle in green/clear/blue and set one on the window sill. Chill & serve. Too skunky, too much time. Not skunky enough send it to AZ for some real UV

Just so you know - it's not a "German" thing - it's an off flavor from poor handling. It's not a desired trait - but, whatever floats your boat.

Pabst Blue Robot said:

Beer tastes like a skunk
When sun light bathes bottles clear
DMS helps too

Click to expand...

What a beautiful haiku! :rockin:

Brewsmith said:

What a beautiful haiku! :rockin:

Click to expand...

Those seem to be the rage around here lately

Pabst Blue Robot said:

Beer tastes like a skunk
When sun light bathes bottles clear
DMS helps too

Click to expand...

A homebrewer/beer lover and poet! Are you married?

Yooper Chick said:

A homebrewer/beer lover and poet! Are you married?

Click to expand...

You flatter me so
But to malt and hops and yeast
My heart doth belong

HEY! How DARE you call Heineken German!!!

Some of that flavor you're referring to may be Sauermalz, not skunkiness.

homebrewer_99 said:

HEY! How DARE you call Heineken German!!!

Some of that flavor you're referring to may be Sauermalz, not skunkiness.

Click to expand...

Oh, I didn't even catch that! I remember, about 25 years ago in Amsterdam, my first experience in a sidewalk cafe with unlimited Heineken. Limited Gulders, fortunately, or else I might never have come home.........

Anyway, back to the thread at hand. You'll find that the "real" beers you're referring to do taste differently if fresh and not light-struck. Another example of that is Grolsch (another Dutch product). It tastes skunky here, because it's bottled in green (or sometimes clear) bottles, but in the Nederlands, it tastes different. A good beer should never be skunky, but that happens when beers are bottled in light colored glass and/or transported great distances. If you like the flavor of those beers, nothing wrong with that. But they won't be easy to recreate.

rdwj said:

Just so you know - it's not a "German" thing - it's an off flavor from poor handling. It's not a desired trait - but, whatever floats your boat.

Click to expand...

Thanks,
I was about to post that.

Kai